Yellowstone National Park, to me, is the most fascinating place I have been.
In fact it is so diversified and challenging I have visited it four times already and I still want to go again and again. Yellowstone was created into a National Park by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1st, 1872 and in doing so, became the first National Park in the world.
It was once called ” the place where Hell bubbled up “, but these words are far from the truth. Yellowstone is a high mountain-encircled plateau, exciting and tranquil, a haven for wildlife and human spirit. Its landscape constantly shifts due to natural processes. Water is thrust through rock, wood, bone & sinew up into the sky in super heated columns, suspended in a bubbling mist then falls to the ground to regenerate the strong biological system that’s life for both plants and animals.
There are five entrances to the park. West, North, North-East, East and South. Due to the high altitude of these gates only one remains open all year round. The north entrance does permit snowmobiles and snow coaches so does not close. The other gates are only passable from the end of April to early November and this can change depending on the weather. We visited the park via the east entrance in early June and were warned by the information booth, outside the park, we had only 30mins. left to cross Sylvan Pass and get down into the park valley before the road was closed. This was the first time we had ever visited the park this early and it was amazing to see the animals in the snow. Once in the valley the sun shone, and the lush green vegetation held no sign of the snow on the peaks.
You need at least three to four days each time you go just to drive around the park. The road throughout the park is like a figure ‘8’ . You can complete the north circle in a day and the south circle in about 2 days depending on how many stops you make along the route taking in the natural wonders of the park and all the animal sightings. If you have a fourth day and it is hot you can go swimming in Firehole Lake (near the west entrance) where the water is like an outdoor swimming pool. Or you can go to Boiling River (near the north entrance) and swim in warm water fed from the hot springs.
There are shops and restaurants at Mammoth in the north, Fishing Bridge Junction in the east and at Old Faithful Inn towards the south entrance.
Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other geysers. It goes off about every 90 minutes. Boards around the park notify you of the times Old faithful will erupt. It is best to get there approximately 30 minutes before hand as it always attracts large crowds. There are bleachers built to help out with the seating and as long as someone can secure your seat you can spend the time shopping, in the souvenir shops, while you wait.
Other geysers include:- Grand, Plume, Beehive, Giant, Giantess, Grotto, Fountain, Riverside, Anemone, and lots more.
There are shimmering pools & springs:- Emerald, Sapphire, Beauty, Chromatic, Morning Glory, Crested, Grand Prismatic Spring, Narrow Gauge, Punch Bowl, and many others.
There are Mudpots and Paintpots:- which are acidic. The hydrogen sulfide rises from deep in the earth, converts the smelly gas into sulfuric acid, breaks down the rock into clay. The mud then bubbles and plops onto the surface.
The cauldrons:- Churning, Black Dragon, and others which throw out seething masses of mud.
Then there are Fumaroles. These are the hottest surface feature. They contain very little water so sprout steam.
In the Mammoth Hot Springs area:- the rock is limestone not rhyolite as in the rest of the park. Here are the world’s best examples of travertine deposits. This travertine forms terraces which you access along broad walks. They include:- Opal, Minerva, Jupiter, White Elephant Angel, along with many more.
When walking through the geyser basins and hot springs you must keep to the broad walks as new eruptions can happen, anywhere, at any time and scald you. The animals too have to be careful where they tread.
The animals consist of:- Grizzly Brown Bears, Black Bears, Bison, Bighorn Rams, Moose, Wolves, Coyotes as well as the smaller creatures like marmots, snakes, ground squirrels, badgers and beavers and all the birds in the air and fish in the lakes.
Park Rangers keep you well posted as to where to find a grisly brown bear, or any of the animals. As soon as there is a sighting the rangers post the place and time on big boards throughout the park.
Greek Philosophers spoke of the world in four images, fire, air, water, and earth. But this did not tell the whole story. There was a fifth, if only we can stop a while and find it. There was a soul of things – the pure, eternal source of everything.
Yellowstone National Park, for me, is a place where I can discover the ” soul of things “.
